San Francisco vindicator., 1887-07-30
A GREAT CORRAL
The Capture Of 1876 Elephants, and
How Twas Done.
Fighting the Leviathans With Fire-One
Bold Animal Breaks Through tho
Barrier-Release of the Packed,
Struggling Captives.

we HAVE alreauy reported that Mr.. G
Sanderson, the superintendent of the
Government kheddahs at Dacca, had
made an unprecedented capture of ele-
plants in the Caro- hills last month.
The details of this exploit are described
by Mr.. Sanderson himself in the En-
glishnaan:
On the 14th we began the drive in the
forenoon. The elephants were, con-
trary to our expectation and to their
habits hitherto, all togetherin one large
gathering. To arrive at the stockade
they had first to reach small level
plateau on the top of hill, from which
they were to be detected to their left
down slope, at the foot of which was
the stockade, well screened in the
jungle. The two, guiding palisades or
wings, converging to the gate of the
stockade, were run up the hillside the
distance of some two hundred yards, at
fifty yards apart. Three fire-lines were
made through the jungle across the
space between the guiding palisades,
one joining them at the extreme ends,
one half way down, and one about sixty
yards from the gate. On these lines
dry grass was stacked in bundles and
hidden by green leaves, ready to be
fired when the elephants had crossed
the paths. The drive was we'll managed,
the herd being kept together and not
over-driven, which often causes herd
to break up into small parties. The
wind favored us, and the elephants were
got to the plateau near the mouth of
the funnel-like approach to the gate
without very much trouble. Here the
men closed in from all sides, directed by
spies in the trees, as the grass was too
high those on foot to see what the
elephants were doing. As the herd
trooped past my post at the end of one
of the palisades it seemed as if the pro-
cession would never end; my veteran
gun-bearer, Jaffa, whispered they were
''as the insects of the forest" Tuskers,
females, and young elephants of all
sizes bundled along, those in the rear
finally showing good deal of apprehen-
sion as the hunters began to close in on
them. The moment the last had crossed
the outermost fire-line the spies sounded
their rattles, and as Il by magic q had
not spared few dozen match boxes
among the, men) a cracking line of
flame extended along the hillside, join
ing the extreme ends of the palisade,
and cutting off retreat. Immediately
the hitherto comparative silence of the
drive was broken by yelling and blank
firing from all sides, and the elephants
hurried forward in crowd, no longer
following any leader, but each striving
not to be last. They soon crossed the
second fire-line, and at a signal from
fog-horn-b barely audible in the din of
elephants and men-active fellows raced
forward from both ends with torches,
and in few seconds this line also was
q wall of fire.
The third line was similarly fired
when the herd had passed, and now the
fun waxed fast and furious. Some of
the elephants went into the stockade at
once, but huge male with the right
tusk only (such elephants are called
0unesni certain c1s1es % l:l;N.' nl'.oos =,
reverence tleinl .ooh up n'S n, ps,I a,orar -,
Tue ga.c"as' "iiion ""o oy
ieee wIue' anu no eiepns'ne ~ p1
NM cA,I : ne s1ono , ",s M.. w cuaham, sn;tb
s.n,, ana oon I r,latfarn, - = ] tree near had an
oxaa,,ant VOW Of Il The space be-
tween the converoino palisades was
t;oht,n ,aoLod hr st,nagl;ng mass Of
oIo,,h.nts for ,n.ny yords from the pate.
Euaru of ;,n1,o had disanneared.
"a a. ,aon wore st;,n,;sbino with
h,arh oo,.tr;daoS aud torches Of blazing
.s.aa. . ~ ,,;th;,, tuantv yards or less
go u x I X o,ror - St;cts
Vi .hie e,elon,s' s.nl : 80 t,,o nol;sadoS
anu cious "as nops NJ NJ w. ~. ~ 80 AZ
Dy .iose ou's,uo. ~ -, ,roro
youne.s - ~ srroa1od conn
pein .anipe -. - uat.Ios nns
Dineo W. GO ~ ;,7no,,o
snu y ''.I az. .s,:sodos - 1ho d;rootion
s.sha,,aa ~ aianbants had come made
II ;mnossible to make oneself heard by
arv one even at ones elbow. / fired
several CHARGES of shot into the rear
most If the elephants. though really /
.tbonrbt them little to blame for not
..n,ov;no on.n It was not for want of